Engineered Waterproof Plastic Composite Flooring and Wall Covering Planks

ABSTRACT

Waterproof engineered floor and wall planks have a veneer layer, an extruded plastic composite core, a click-lock edge fastening system, and, alternatively, an underlayer.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of and also claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/657,750, filed Oct. 22, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to flooring, and particularly a new and improvedwaterproof flooring utilizing bamboo and plastic.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the flooring industry, there is a significant need for waterproofflooring that presents the appearance of a wooden floor. In particular,this flooring needs to be not only resistant to moisture, but alsoeconomical, easy to install, easy to maintain, and comfortable to walkon.

In the flooring industry, laminate flooring using fiberboard or particleboard as the core layer has gained a tremendous market share. Suchlaminate flooring is manufactured with numerous desirable propertiessuch as reasonable cost, stain resistance, wear resistance, easymaintenance, and fire resistance. In addition, laminate flooring is ableto carry many types of printed designs, including wood grain designs.

Natural wood floors, particularly of oak and other hardwoods have beenemployed as flooring materials for centuries. While not as economical aslaminate flooring, the appearance and comfort of wooden flooring ishighly desirable. One of the most significant drawbacks to both laminateand wooden flooring is their performance when subjected to sustainedexposure to moisture. In the case of wooden floors, moisture will causeswelling and warping of the flooring leading to an uneven surface andeven gaps between the planks. In the case of laminate flooring,sustained exposure to moisture will frequently destabilize the integrityof the fiberboard or particle board material causing permanent andirreparable damage to the laminate boards. This leads many flooringinstallers to avoid the use of laminate flooring in areas that aresubject to repeated or sustained moisture such as in the kitchen,bathroom, laundry room and basement areas of a house or in thecommercial settings of restaurants and some retail stores.

As a result of the shortcomings of wood and laminate flooring, thechoices for flooring in wet areas have traditionally been limited toceramic tile, stone, and rubber or vinyl flooring. With ceramic tile andstone, the visual choices are limited, the cost of materials andinstallation is relatively high, and the resulting floors are cold inthe absence of subsurface radiant heating and hard to stand on forextended periods of time. Rubber and vinyl floors can be relativelyinexpensive, however, because these flooring materials are not rigid,imperfections from the subfloor transfers through the rubber or vinyland appears on the floor surface which can be aesthetically jarring. Inaddition, the strength of adhesives used with rubber and vinyl floorscan be compromised by moisture that can result in curling damage sincethe floors lack rigidity.

To address these issues, laminate flooring has been manufactured withimproved moisture resistance through the selection of melamine,isocyanate or phenolic binders and through application of waterproofingmaterials and silicone caulking to seal voids. These steps remaininadequate however, both due to added time of installation and cost ofmanufacture, and because these waterproofing attempts are not 100%effective. One attempt to produce a suitable laminate plank is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 7,763,345, and its related applications, where athermoplastic material core is created and a print layer and aprotective overlay are applied to the top side. The thermoplasticmaterial core is typically a rigid polyvinylchloride compound and thecore is extruded with cavities to provide cushioning. Extruded plankshave a tendency to cup, however, and even with cavities, the PVCthermoplastic core is not inexpensive.

In modern construction it is also desirable to utilize green or recycledmaterials to minimize the environmental cost of construction. As aresult, it is desirable to maximize the use of recycled or wastematerials whenever possible. Therefore, a need exists for improvedwaterproof engineered flooring and wall covering material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A feature of the present invention is to provide a rigid waterproofflooring or wall covering plank that includes the possibility of a widevariety of visual surface appearances, a rigid and relativelyenvironmentally friendly core, and an optional cushioned backing. Theengineered planks according to the invention may advantageously utilizea locking system so that the flooring can be snapped together as afloating floor, employing the floating floor installation method whereno adhesive is required to bond the flooring planks to the subfloor. Inaddition, a portion of the engineered waterproof plank materials cancomprise bamboo dust, wood dust or cork dust that is substantially abyproduct of other flooring manufacturing processes.

By combining the bamboo, wood or cork dust, or combination thereof, withhigh density polyethylene (HDPE), or polyvinylchloride (virgin,recycled, or a mixture thereof), a rigid and inert core is provided thatdoes not absorb moisture and does not expand or contract, therebyeliminating the formation of peaks and gaps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as otherobjects will become apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary engineered waterproofflooring plank according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded sectional view of an exemplary flooring plankaccording to the invention.

FIGS. 3 a-d depict exemplary prior art click-lock edge configurationsthat may be advantageously used with various planks made according tothe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In general, the present invention relates to a waterproof engineeredflooring plank or wall panel. The end view of the exemplary flooringplank 10 shown in FIG. 1 shows the three principal structural componentsof the plank. Specifically, the top surface is a veneer layer, such aswear layer 20, that is waterproof and is selected from a number ofpossible materials including: tile or stone veneers; rubber; decorativeplastic; decorative vinyl; linoleum; and any material (such as cork,bamboo or wood veneer) encapsulated in vinyl or resin to render thelayer waterproof and wear resistant. A decorative vinyl wear layer isparticularly cost and performance effective. This surface is not onlyresistant to moisture, but can also be provided with a staticcoefficient of friction (CoF) of about 0.68 according to ASTM C 1028-96,and a CoF of at least about 0.60 is desirable for most applications.

The middle section or core 30 of the engineered plank 10 is a compositematerial formed from raw or unprocessed bamboo dust, wood dust, corkdust or a mixture thereof and high density polyethylene (HDPE) oralternatively, virgin or recycled PVC or a combination of such PVCs, andup to about 10% chemical additives such as anti-UV agents,anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers, colorants, anti-fungus agents,coupling agents, reinforcing agents, and lubricants. Calcium carbonatemay also be added as a filler. After blending and melting the dust andHDPE or PVC, and additives and filler, the composite material isextruded to desired dimension. This type of HDPE and dust composite haspreviously been manufactured primarily for use as outdoor decks,railings and fences, but heretofore has not been used in a fashion thatwas sufficiently visually appealing or commercially viable forresidential or commercial flooring. Instead, these wood-plastic orbamboo-plastic composites have been impregnated with colors according toa limited color pallet suitable and only promoted for exterior use. Whenused in the present invention, some additives, such as anti-UV agents,anti-fungals, and insecticides, are not needed. Also, heretofore, corkdust has not been a principal ingredient of the plastic composites.Whereas generally the addition of greater amounts of wood or bamboo dustprovided greater rigidity to the resulting planks, cork dust retainssome resilience even in the plastic mixture. The core 30 can be solid,or can be provided with channels or cavaties if desired, particularly inrelatively thick embodiments.

The underlayment layer 40 is attached to the extruded dust and plasticcore 30 and is also made of waterproof or water resistant material suchas cork, rubber, foam or waterproof balancing paper.

The plank 10 also has a grooved end 50 with profile 51 and channel 52that matches with protruding end 60 having profile 61 and protrusion 62.The particular profiles are made according to a preferred design toallow the panels to be quickly locked together, typically without theuse of adhesive. However, if desired, an adhesive may be applied to theprofiles therefore joining planks together to create a more permanentbonding of adjacent planks. The matching profiles may be of theclick-lock variety depicted in FIGS. 3 a-d or a more traditional tongueand groove construction that generally requires the use of an adhesive.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the various layers that may be included ina plank or wall panel of the invention. The top layer 21 is an optionalprotective overlay or cover layer that is most desirable when the wearlayer 20 is not particularly durable. Preferred top layercharacteristics include transparency, hardness and scratch resistance.Exemplary materials for a top layer 21 include melamine resin withaluminum oxide and polyurethane. Wear layer 20 is less likely to benefitfrom a top layer 21 when comprised of a durable material such as tile orstone, or when the wear layer 20 already includes a protective hardenersuch as is the case with resin or vinyl encapsulated bamboo, wood orcork.

A bonding layer 22 joins the wear layer 20 to the core 30 and istypically a water resistant adhesive. A preferred adhesive type is a hotmelt adhesive that can be applied during the manufacture of theengineered flooring or wall covering, at temperatures over 200° F., andmore commonly over 250° F., and is therefore not suitable for convenientuse at a residence or commercial establishment when flooring is beinginstalled. The hot melt adhesive should be water resistant or nearlyimpervious to significant and prolonged exposure to moisture.

Another bonding layer 41 joins the underlayment layer 40 to the core 30.As with the first bonding layer 22, this second bonding layer 41 is alsopreferably a hot melt adhesive that is nearly impervious to moisture.The underlayment layer 40 is selected from a variety of possiblematerials depending upon the price point and functionality of theflooring or wall covering planks.

Planks according to the present invention are advantageously providedwith click-lock edge systems, such as the protrusion 62 that co-operateswith channel 52 and edge profiles 51, 61. Pervan, U.S. Pat. No.6,023,907 and Morian, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,486 disclose two of theleading edge fastening systems. FIGS. 3 a-d show a variety of otherclick-lock edges. The system in FIG. 3 a can be angled and snapped, FIG.3 b shows a snap joint, FIG. 3 c can be angled and snapped but generallyhas less joining strength than the system of FIG. 3 a. FIG. 3 d alsoshows lock and fold panels with the first panel having a channel on theright edge being installed and the second panel being angled so that itsprotrusion enters the channel and the top edges of the two panelscontact, and then rotating the second panel downward until the profilesare locked. When using click-lock edges, it is relativelystraightforward to install floating flooring without adhesives. Theparticular edge system that is preferred for a particular plank may varydepending upon the dimensions and rigidity of the plank. It will also beunderstood that planks and panels according to the present invention canbe installed using adhesives, and the adhesives can be applied to jointhe edges of the planks or to attach the planks to the subfloor or wall,or both.

The planks and panels according to the invention are generallyrectangular having a thickness of up to about one inch (about 25.4 mm)and a width of between about 2 and 12 inches (about 50 mm to about 305mm). In general, flooring planks will have a greater thickness than wallcovering planks or panels. The use of recycled wood, cork or bamboo dustcontributes to sustainability through the responsible management ofresources, and provided bamboo, cork or sustainably harvested wood isused, results in an environmentally friendly building material.

The planks and panels manufactured according to the invention are nearlyimpervious to swelling and have great dimensional stability. Theseplanks and panels exhibit variations due to moisture of less than 0.01%.The products can also be manufactured to tolerances of less than 0.25 mmof length, width and straightness, and many suitable wear layers providecolorfast and cleanable surfaces.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understoodthat the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of theinvention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to beconstrued as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications whichdo not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. An engineered waterproof plank comprising: (a) a veneerlayer adhered to a top surface of a rigid waterproof core, wherein theveneer layer is selected from the group consisting of wood veneer, corkveneer, bamboo veneer, tile veneer, stone veneer, rubber veneer,decorative plastic veneer, linoleum veneer and decorative vinyl veneer;(b) a first waterproof adhesive layer bonding the veneer layer to thetop surface of the waterproof core; (c) the waterproof core comprising aplastic composite; (d) the plank having a first edge with a grooveextending laterally into the waterproof core and a second opposite edgewith a lateral protrusion from the waterproof core, wherein the grooveand protrusion have profiles shaped to form a click-lock edge fasteningsystem.
 2. The plank of claim 1 wherein the plastic composite comprisesis an extruded plastic composite.
 3. The plank of claim 1 wherein saidplastic composite further comprises a plastic selected from the groupconsisting of high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chlorides.
 4. Theplank of claim 1 wherein the plastic composite further comprises aplastic and a filler.
 5. The plank of claim 4 wherein the fillercomprises calcium carbonate.
 6. The plank of claim 1 wherein the plasticcomposite further comprises a plastic and a dust, said dust selectedfrom the group consisting of wood, bamboo, cork and a combination of twoor more of wood, bamboo and cork.
 7. The plank of claim 1 wherein theplastic composite further comprises a plastic and an additive, saidadditive selected from the group consisting of anti-UV agents,anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers, colorants, anti-fungus agents,coupling agents, reinforcing agents, and lubricants.
 8. The plank ofclaim 1 further comprising a second waterproof adhesive layer bonding anunderlayer to a bottom surface of the waterproof core, said underlayerselected from the group consisting of cork, rubber, foam and waterproofbalance paper.
 9. The plank of claim 1 further comprising a cover layerover the veneer layer.
 10. The plank of claim 1 wherein the veneer layeris encapsulated in resin to render the veneer layer waterproof and wearresistant.
 11. The plank of claim 1 wherein exposure to moisture resultsin swelling of plank dimensions by less than 0.01%.
 12. The plank ofclaim 1 wherein the first waterproof adhesive layer further comprises ahot melt adhesive.
 13. An engineered waterproof plank comprising: (a) aveneer layer adhered to a top surface of a rigid waterproof core,wherein the veneer layer is selected from the group consisting of woodveneer, cork veneer, bamboo veneer, tile veneer, stone veneer, rubberveneer, decorative plastic veneer, linoleum veneer and decorative vinylveneer; (b) a first waterproof adhesive layer bonding the veneer layerto the top surface of the waterproof core; (c) the waterproof corecomprising a composite of a plastic and a material selected from thegroup consisting of a dust, a filler, an additive and a combination oftwo or more of such dust, such filler and such additive; (d) the plankhaving a first edge with a groove extending laterally into thewaterproof core and a second opposite edge with a lateral protrusionfrom the waterproof core, wherein the groove and protrusion haveprofiles shaped to form a click-lock edge fastening system.
 14. Theplank of claim 13 wherein the composite is an extruded composite. 15.The plank of claim 13 wherein said plastic is selected from the groupconsisting of high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chlorides.
 16. Theplank of claim 13 wherein said filler further comprises calciumcarbonate.
 17. The plank of claim 13 wherein said dust further comprisesa dust selected from the group consisting of wood dust, bamboo dust,cork dust and a combination of two or more of wood dust, bamboo dust andcork dust.
 18. The plank of claim 13 wherein said additive furthercomprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting ofanti-UV agents, anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers, colorants,anti-fungus agents, coupling agents, reinforcing agents, and lubricants.19. The plank of claim 13 further comprising a second waterproofadhesive layer bonding an underlayer to a bottom surface of thewaterproof core, said underlayer selected from the group consisting ofcork, rubber, foam and waterproof balance paper.
 20. The plank of claim13 further comprising a cover layer over the veneer layer.
 21. The plankof claim 13 wherein the veneer layer is encapsulated in resin to renderthe veneer layer waterproof and wear resistant.
 22. The plank of claim13 wherein exposure to moisture results in swelling of plank dimensionsby less than 0.01%.
 23. The plank of claim 13 wherein the firstwaterproof adhesive layer further comprises a hot melt adhesive.
 24. Anengineered waterproof plank comprising: (a) a veneer layer adhered to atop surface of a rigid waterproof core, wherein the veneer layer isselected from the group consisting of wood veneer, cork veneer, bambooveneer, tile veneer, stone veneer, rubber veneer, decorative plasticveneer, linoleum veneer and decorative vinyl veneer; (b) a firstwaterproof adhesive layer bonding the veneer layer to the top surface ofthe waterproof core; (c) a second waterproof adhesive layer bonding anunderlayer to a bottom surface of the waterproof core, said underlayerselected from the group consisting of cork, rubber, foam and waterproofbalance paper (d) the waterproof core comprising a plastic composite;(e) the plank having a first edge with a groove extending laterally intothe waterproof core and a second opposite edge with a lateral protrusionfrom the waterproof core, wherein the groove and protrusion haveprofiles shaped to form a click-lock edge fastening system.
 25. Theplank of claim 24 wherein the plastic composite is an extruded plasticcomposite.
 26. The plank of claim 24 wherein said plastic compositefurther comprises a plastic selected from the group consisting ofhigh-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chlorides.
 27. The plank ofclaim 24 wherein the plastic composite further comprises a plastic and afiller.
 28. The plank of claim 27 wherein the filler comprises calciumcarbonate.
 29. The plank of claim 24 wherein the plastic compositefurther comprises a plastic and a dust, said dust selected from thegroup consisting of wood, bamboo, cork and a combination of two or moreof wood, bamboo and cork.
 30. The plank of claim 24 wherein the plasticcomposite further comprises a plastic and an additive, said additiveselected from the group consisting of anti-UV agents, anti-oxidationagents, stabilizers, colorants, anti-fungus agents, coupling agents,reinforcing agents, and lubricants.
 31. The plank of claim 24 furthercomprising a cover layer over the veneer layer.
 33. The plank of claim24 wherein the veneer layer is encapsulated in resin to render theveneer layer waterproof and wear resistant.
 34. The plank of claim 24wherein exposure to moisture results in swelling of plank dimensions byless than 0.01%.
 35. The plank of claim 24 wherein the first waterproofadhesive layer further comprises a hot melt adhesive.
 36. An engineeredwaterproof plank comprising: (a) a veneer layer, said veneer layerselected from the group consisting of decorative vinyl veneer anddecorative plastic veneer; (b) said veneer layer joined by a waterproofbond to a top surface of a rigid waterproof core; (c) the waterproofcore comprising a plastic composite; (d) the plank having a first edgewith a groove extending laterally into the waterproof core and a secondopposite edge with a lateral protrusion from the waterproof core,wherein the groove and protrusion have profiles shaped to form aclick-lock edge fastening system.
 37. The plank of claim 36 wherein theplastic composite is an extruded plastic composite.
 38. The plank ofclaim 36 wherein said plastic composite further comprises a plasticselected from the group consisting of high-density polyethylene andpolyvinyl chlorides.
 39. The plank of claim 36 wherein the plasticcomposite further comprises a plastic and a filler.
 40. The plank ofclaim 39 wherein the filler comprises calcium carbonate.
 41. The plankof claim 36 wherein the plastic composite further comprises a plasticand a dust, said dust selected from the group consisting of wood,bamboo, cork and a combination of two or more of wood, bamboo and cork.42. The plank of claim 36 wherein the plastic composite furthercomprises a plastic and an additive, said additive selected from thegroup consisting of anti-UV agents, anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers,colorants, anti-fungus agents, coupling agents, reinforcing agents, andlubricants.
 43. The plank of claim 36 further comprising a waterproofadhesive layer -bonding an underlayer to a bottom surface of thewaterproof core, said underlayer selected from the group consisting ofcork, rubber, foam and waterproof balance paper.
 44. The plank of claim36 further comprising a cover layer over the veneer layer.
 45. The plankof claim 36 wherein the veneer layer is encapsulated in resin to renderthe veneer layer waterproof and wear resistant.
 46. The plank of claim36 wherein exposure to moisture results in swelling of plank dimensionsby less than 0.01%.
 47. The plank of claim 36 wherein the waterproofbonding layer further comprises a waterproof adhesive between thedecorative vinyl veneer layer and the rigid waterproof core.
 48. Theplank of claim 36 wherein the waterproof bonding layer further comprisesa melted bond between the decorative vinyl veneer layer and the plasticcomposite of the rigid waterproof core.